Getting Started

Once management has committed to providing adequate resources and direction, the focus should shift to how they can advance the change process. A successful transition to SDWTs requires time, money, and management commitment. In business, management often beats the drum and announces a new quality initiative. Workers are eager and excited at the beginning, but when nothing happens, they lose their enthusiasm and morale drops. Don't beat the drum unless you mean it.

Defining the Change

The first step is to identify the organization's function, then ask why it needs to change. How should the changes happen? Will the change address a core strategic business process like marketing and sales, manufacturing, or research and development? Or, will the change focus on a more defined, radical process such as order entry, accounts receivable, or employee records? The proper change strategy depends on several internally or externally driven variables.